Black Lentil Salad with Roasted Asparagus

March 30, 2012

This simple black lentil salad uses spring asparagus with sweet onions to create a delicious side dish for a seasonal meal.

 
Black Lentil Salad with Roasted Asparagus Recipe | Fake Food Free
 

So far we’ve been harvesting single servings of asparagus from the garden. My husband got the first serving, and I got the second. He’s a much bigger asparagus fan than me so I thought that was only fair.

It’s coming up slowly, but I’m not going to complain because it’s a bit early for asparagus anyway. I’ll take the slow arrival as a trade off for having it so early. It must have known how desperate I was to get the garden going this year. Despite the warm winter, I still felt like I’d been cooped up inside for way too long.

This week I did manage to collect enough asparagus to make a salad, and this got me thinking about some black lentils in the pantry. It goes without saying; we are still in clean out mode. It’s amazing how much you can stuff into a small pantry when you are as obsessed with grains and legumes as I am.

The tang of the balsamic vinegar in the dressing for this salad adds a good balance to the asparagus that has turned sweet from roasting. I rounded up all the asparagus I could, but if you have more, add it. It only makes this salad better.

 

Black Lentil Salad with Roasted Asparagus Recipe
Black Lentil Salad with Roasted Asparagus
Serves 2-3 for a main, or 4 for a side
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Ingredients
  1. ¼ cup white onion, finely diced
  2. 1 cup dried black lentils
  3. ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
  4. ½ to 1 pound asparagus, roasted or grilled
  5. 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  6. 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  7. 1 teaspon mascavo sugar
  8. Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Place the onion in a bowl of ice water and allow it to sit while you prepare the rest of the salad. This will draw some heat out of the onions. If your onions are already sweet, you can skip this step.
  2. In a medium sauce pan, add the lentils and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 20-25 minutes. You want the lentils to be slightly firm for a salad. Drain and rinse with cold water until cooled. Pour into a medium bowl.
  3. Drain the onion. Add the chives and onion to the lentils. Chop the asparagus into ½ inch pieces and add to the lentils.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, and sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing over the lentils and toss to coat. Add more salt or pepper, if desired.
Notes
  1. To roast the asparagus, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until dark green, but still crisp.
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Black Lentil Salad with Roasted Asparagus Recipe
 

Soon I’ll be looking for ideas to use up all our asparagus. What’s your favorite way to prepare it?

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  • Cathleen March 30, 2012 at 7:29 am

    Asparagus makes my knees weak. I think that it’s my favorite vegetable. This looks so good!

  • Emma March 31, 2012 at 9:22 am

    For me, the best asparagus is grilled on the BBQ, or dipped in soft-boiled eggs!

  • Sue/the view from great island March 31, 2012 at 3:08 pm

    This looks fabulous, I love black lentils, and I’ve recently discovered black rice, too. Your photos are beautiful.

  • Lori April 1, 2012 at 6:13 am

    Cathleen – It used to be my least favorite. For some reason after we started growing it (for my husband) it became one of my favorites too!

    Emma – We love grilling it too! I need to eat it more with eggs.

    Sue – Thanks so much! This was my first try with black lentils. Love them now! Big fan of black rice. I need to make it more often.

  • Anonymous April 4, 2012 at 8:02 pm

    Can’t wait to try This, love lentils and LOVE asparagus even more! Try roasting your asparagus with a little beer sometime, its amazing 🙂 beautiful pics of the food as well!

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